Change: (helm-buffer--details) Handle non-modified, non-file buffers

[alphapapa]

Modified, non-file buffers are now shown as modified. This is useful for, e.g. chat clients, whose room buffers are not file-backed, but it's useful to know when they're modified (i.e. have new messages).

Thanks for your work on Helm!

[thierryvolpiatto]

Thanks merged.

[thierryvolpiatto]

However, note that buffer-modified-p check if buffer have been modified against its file, but doesn't handle non-file buffers, so I am not sure this is what you want.

[alphapapa]

Hi Thierry,

Thanks for merging.

However, note that buffer-modified-p check if buffer have been modified against its file, but doesn't handle non-file buffers, so I am not sure this is what you want.

Are you sure? I've been using set-buffer-modified-p on non-file buffers, and after setting that, buffer-modified-p returns the value set with it. IOW it seems to work as desired.

Thanks.

[thierryvolpiatto]

Yes is you use set-buffer-modified-p on those buffers, but when are you setting buffer modified ?
I have reverted for now as buffers such "messages" or "eshell" stay marked as modified forever with your changes, which is confusing.

[alphapapa]

Yes is you use set-buffer-modified-p on those buffers, but when are you setting buffer modified ?

In our Matrix client: https://github.com/jgkamat/matrix-client-legacy-el

I have reverted for now as buffers such "messages" or "eshell" stay marked as modified forever with your changes, which is confusing.

Hmm, yeah, that's not good. That's disappointing, because having these chat room buffers show up as modified is very helpful.

The first thing I tried was setting buffer-file-name on the non-file buffers, but that caused Emacs to always use - as the buffer name when calling rename-buffer.

I feel stumped at the moment. Do you have any general ideas for how this might be fixable? I think other packages could benefit from this, like all the IRC packages.

@jgkamat What do you think?

Thanks.

[alphapapa]

Ok, I think I figured it out: we bind buffer-file-name to nil around the call to rename-buffer. Then we can leave buffer-file-name set to "" the rest of the time, and Helm will highlight it as if it were a file-backed buffer.

Thanks, Thierry. Sorry for wasting your time with this and having to revert it.

[alphapapa]

Well, there is still one small issue: now Helm shows them as file-backed buffers all the time. This trade-off is probably worth it, as it's much more useful to see them highlighted when they contain new messages than it is to see them as non-file-backed buffers the rest of the time. But if there is some way to have both, it would be nice. Ideas appreciated. :)

[thierryvolpiatto]

What you can do is instead of using set-buffer-modified-p on your chat buffers is setting a new helm local variable to buffer-modified-tick, the variable would be named helm-buffers-tick-counter, so the only thing you would have to do on your side is (setq helm-buffers-tick-counter (buffer-modified-tick)).
Try patch below (not tested):

diff --git a/helm-buffers.el b/helm-buffers.el
index 180194ff..59ee70a6 100644
--- a/helm-buffers.el
+++ b/helm-buffers.el
@@ -154,6 +154,9 @@ this source is accessible and properly loaded."
   "Face used for non-file buffers in `helm-buffers-list'."
   :group 'helm-buffers-faces)
 
+(defvar helm-buffers-tick-counter nil)
+(make-variable-buffer-local 'helm-buffers-tick-counter)
+
 
 ;;; Buffers keymap
 ;;
@@ -375,6 +378,13 @@ See `ido-make-buffer-list' for more infos."
          (helm-buffer--show-details
           name name-prefix file-name size mode dir
           'helm-buffer-file 'helm-buffer-process nil details 'filebuf))
+        ;; A non-file, modified buffer
+        ((with-current-buffer name
+           (and helm-buffers-tick-counter
+                (/= helm-buffers-tick-counter (buffer-modified-tick))))
+         (helm-buffer--show-details
+          name (and proc name-prefix) dir size mode dir
+          'helm-buffer-modified 'helm-buffer-process proc details 'nofile-mod))
         ;; Any non--file buffer.=>italic
         (t
          (helm-buffer--show-details

[alphapapa]

Thanks, that seems to work very well, and it's easy to gate on our end with (when (featurep 'helm).... Should I send a PR with that patch?

[thierryvolpiatto]

alphapapa <notifications@github.com> writes:

Thanks, that seems to work very well, and it's easy to gate on our end with (when (featurep 'helm).... Should I send a PR with that patch?

Oh yes, would be great, like that I have just to apply your PR :) Thanks.

…

-- Thierry

[thierryvolpiatto]

Thierry Volpiatto <thievol05@zoho.eu> writes:

alphapapa ***@***.***> writes: > Thanks, that seems to work very well, and it's easy to gate on our end > with (when (featurep 'helm).... Should I send a PR with that patch? Oh yes, would be great, like that I have just to apply your PR :)

I finally made it, I will not have much time later. Thanks.

…

-- Thierry

[alphapapa]

Thanks, Thierry.